What do people really want to know about in an emergency?

1. What is really happening?

2. How will this affect me?

3. What are you doing?

4. What do I need to do?

5. When will things get back to normal?

6. Specific and detailed instructions

7. Reassurance

8. Voices of authority they can trust

...The problem is that people behave differently during an emergency!

Fact #1

Under conditions of high stress, people have diminished ability hear, understand what is being said them.

Communications implication: You must keep your messages simple. A maximum of three key messages is all your audience can absorb and retain.

Fact #2

For people in high stress situations, as much as 75% of information comes from non-verbal clues…it's what you look like and what you sound like when you say it that's important. In normal circumstances, only 25% of what people absorb is non-verbal.

Communications implication: Make certain you present yourself as someone in authority with poise and confidence. Dress the part! Practice your messages!

Fact #3

95% of the questions people ask during an emergency can be predicted in advance.

Communications implication: You can prepare responses in advance particularly for the early stages of an emergency event; be it a forest fire, flood or any predictable crisis.

There are communications planning techniques such as 'Message Mapping' that can be employed to create these responses.

When it comes time to create and deliver emergency messages, it is best to maximize the opportunity that news media offers an emergency information officer. Remember, your audience…they are limited by the stress they are under, so make every word count!

27/9/3 model: a critical tool

Here are some fundamental facts about how news media operate:

• The average length of a sound bite in print media is 27 words. Your message should be short and clear. There is no room to make your sentences complicated,

• The average duration of a sound bite in broadcast media is nine seconds. Make certain you deliver your key messages in as few words as possible or you will find much of your message on the editing room floor!

• The average number of messages reported in both print and broadcast media is three. Just when you thought you had so much to say, you really only have three key messages to deliver.

These media limitations can work in your favor. It just happens that people in stressful situations can only comprehend about three key messages, so let the 27/9/3 model be your guide. Even the order in which these messages is delivered is important. People are apt to retain the first and third message in an emergency, so pick your order with care!

Caring, Compassion and Competence Model

"When people are stressed and upset, they want to know that you care before they care what you know"- Will Rogers

How you deliver your messages will determine their effectiveness on an already stressed audience - it's not necessarily what you say, rather it's how you say it that counts. 

 Convey caring and empathy - Before you launch into your key messages, regardless of the interviewers first question, establish that you and your responding agency empathize with those folks who are taking the hit from the emergency event.

"The Ministry of Natural Resources understands the stress that the community is currently facing as this event unfolds."

Demonstrate competence - When delivering you messages, ensure that you express conviction, commitment and competence in the tasks that you are bringing to aid the community. Remember you are being judged by both those most directly impacted by the event and, by those people who care about the victims.

"… our emergency response staff will do everything possible to assist the community. Our response plan is already activated …"

Offer hope and optimism - People need to see light at the end of the tunnel. Regardless of the initial and/or continuing impacts of the hazard unfolding, your audience needs your optimism.

"We have faced similar events before and know that this will end. We can work with you to start the recovery and restoration …"

Being effective as an emergency information officer requires; skills training, exercising the skill and, being prepared to respond when called.  It does require your commitment, to ensure that you are prepared!

The Message Map

We've talked about why we need to keep our key messages simple and limited (3 maximum), and that first and last messages delivered are likely to be the messages most remembered by people under stress.

Now, we can look at a method of delivering those messages. The Message Map organizes those key messages into a simple format and allows for supporting messages to follow once the key messages have been presented.

The MESSAGE MAP can be used to outline a speech at a news conference, a news release, a preparation for a media interview or, any other fact sheet or handout as an emergency event unfolds.

Here's what a message map looks like:

Message Map
Topic: What is this about? type of incident or emergency.
Audience: External or internal, media and public, stakeholder?
Concern: What question s from public/stakeholders are we addressing?
User: Who will use this message map? Spokesperson, public inquiry line staff?  Or will it be included in release/speech?  Timing: is this messaging at the onset of the crisis? In the recovery phase?
Key Message 1	Key Message 2	Key Message 3
Supporting message/fact 1	Supporting message/ fact 1	Supporting message/act 1
Supporting message/fact 2	Supporting message/fact 2	Supporting message/fact 2
Supporting message/fact 3	Supporting message/fact 2	Supporting message/fact 2

Remember: Deliver the messages with (CCO) compassion, confidently and give people some optimism as to the outcome of the events unfolding.

For more details on MESSAGE MAPPING, we've provided a link to the US Environmental Protection Agency webpage on this subject and a video explaining how it works by Dr Vincent Covello, who developed this message deliver method.